Sophomore Taylor Cunningham sets the ball against Estancia during an Orange Coast League match at Dugger Gym on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Photo by Robert Campbell

Girls Volleyball (11-9, 2-0)

Breakers Sweeping Through League

Laguna opened their conference play with a pair of sweeps taking Saddleback 25-8, 25-15, 25-14 last Thursday and stopping Estancia 25-16, 25-19, 25-19 on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

In the Thursday, Oct. 3, match, Kelsey Paul led all hitters with 11 kills and the Breakers nailed the Roadrunners with 23 service aces in the three-set match. This past Tuesday, Laguna extended their best-of-five set series with Estancia to 45-0 in the sweep. Sabrina Stillwell led the hitters with 12 kills, Samantha Kruger added six kills and 11 digs, Aspen Rocha had 23 assists and Francie Holte 21 digs in the win.

Breakers are in a great position for seeding in the I-A playoffs that will begin Nov. 12 and need to finish out league play with sweeps over the next four weeks. Laguna has won 72 straight league matches sweeping the last 34 without dropping a set.

Laguna’s team, still missing players, lost to Division I Beckman 10-8 in a non-league match on Monday, Oct. 7. In league play, the Breakers defeated Godinez 18-0 on Oct. 3 at the Santa Ana Valley High School courts for their 75th consecutive league win. This past Tuesday, Laguna finished the first round of league play with a 17-1 defeat of Costa Mesa. Laguna will travel to Santa Margarita on Oct. 14 and will meet division rival Sage Hill on Oct. 21 in their last remaining non-league matches.

Laguna dropped another key non-league match against division rival Foothill falling 8-7 to the SSCIF Division II sixth-ranked Knights this past Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the Tustin area school. Aki Anderson, Jakob Colladay and Nolan Del Toro each scored two goals with Rian Atherton added a lone score. The defeat will only make the playoff road a little more challenging unless Laguna can pull an upset at Murrieta Valley or in their last tournament.

Last Thursday, Laguna lost a thriller 16-15 to at Dana Hills as the Dolphin defense stopped Laguna’s last offensive threat without a shot to seal the double overtime win. Dana (8-5 and eighth in Division I, and fifth in the county) forced the extra periods with a tying score with just three seconds remaining in regulation. Cade Baldridge scored five goals, Jack Dodson and Aki Anderson had three each for the Breakers. Garrett Hartley had 10 saves in the cage. Last year Laguna prevailed 11-10 in three overtime periods and are 5-2 overall with the Dolphins since Ethan Damato became head coach in 2008.

Junior Aki Anderson, who scored two goals, looks for an open teammate during a road game where Laguna lost 8-7 against Foothill High Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Breakers traveled to Saddleback on Oct. 9 for their first league match and see Sage Hill on Oct. 16. Laguna also travels to # 2 SSCIF D-2 rival Murrieta Valley on Oct. 17.